MoonClan: book 1: Moonrise
by LizaVera
Summary: Scourge, the leader of BloodClan, died under the claws of Firestar. But what happened to the rest of BloodClan, including his three kits?
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: I always wondered what would happen if Scourge had had kits before he was killed, and what would become of those kits. Well, the answer to my question soon became a fanfiction called _MoonClan_, the first book being called _Moonrise_. As always, feedback is enjoyed, and I hope you enjoy _Moonrise_!**

**MoonClan**

_Book One_

Moonrise

Prologue:

A blue-gray queen paced the starry clearing. A black and white tom shook his head at her. "Bluestar," he said. "You fret far too much."

"No Tallstar," Bluestar replied, "I worry exactly the right amount."

A tabby tom with a crooked jaw spoke up, "Bluestar is right to worry. This is a serious problem."

"Thank you Crookedstar," Bluestar replied, still pacing. "It _is _a serious problem. There _can't_ be five clans in the forest. It's just not right."

"I'm surprised you, of all cats, would make a big deal out of this," A big brown tom spoke up now. "After all, ThunderClan has always been known for it's compassion."

"Of course we're compassionate, Raggedstar," Bluestar snapped. "You know why this is a big deal. Remember when SkyClan was a part of the forest? Remember how that ended?

A silence gripped the cats of StarClan. Bluestar, continued, satisfied that the cats had seen her point. "I just don't want the four Clans to be torn apart again."

"If I may," a young tortoiseshell she-cat entered the conversation. "Bluestar is right: we do have to be concerned. However, the prophecy speaks of no trouble. For all we know, this new Clan could fit in with the other Clans just fine."

"I'm still uneasy, Spottedleaf," Bluestar fretted. "I don't want any trouble to come to any of the Clans."

"Then we'll just have to warn them," Spottedleaf said. "I'll send a message to ThunderClan..."

||**||

Jayfeather opened his eyes. He was standing in the starry clearing of StarClan. But no StarClan cats greeted him tonight. Thunder boomed, shaking the very ground he stood on. Something was wrong. This was not the usual dreams that StarClan sent to him. He looked to the sky for any sign that the StarClan cats were present. But there were none. The cats were as silent as, well, stars.

Jayfeather sniffed the air. The sweet smell of the grassy clearing had been replaced by the sickening smell of,

Blood.

Jayfeather looked to the sky. The stars were being covered up! A red splotch of blood was spreading over the heavens, staining the sky. _No! Thunder, blood, what next?_ Jayfeather searched frantically, calling out to any StarClan cat who might hear him. But no cat came. He looked to the sky again. A moon was appearing. Confused, Jayfeather shook his head. It was probably just a nightmare. Then he heard a voice. Calming, haunting, chilling, it carried the ominous tone of a StarClan prophecy. _"From Blood, the Moon will come."_

Jayfeather woke, the dream still fresh in his mind. _I have to tell Firestar!_

Racing to his leader's den, he skidded to a stop once he got inside. "Firestar!" he yowled in panic.

Firestar jolted awake and at the smell of Jayfeather's fear-scent, he became alarmed. "Jayfeather?" he asked. "What is it?"

The young medicine cat recalled his dream which still remained vivid in his mind, quite a contrast from reality, where he was blind. "And then a voice said, 'From blood, the moon will come,'" Jayfeather recalled the ominous voice he had heard in his dream.

Firestar was troubled. It seemed as though a prophecy had been set, but no one had any idea what it meant. Blood... last time a prophecy involved blood, it had been speaking of BloodClan. But when the forest cats left their old territory many moons ago, they also left BloodClan behind them. BloodClan was no more. "Do you have any idea what it means?" Firestar asked Jayfeather about the prophecy.

Jayfeather shook his head, and Firestar sighed. "Then get back to sleep. We'll figure it out when the time comes." As Jayfeather headed back to the medicine cat's den, Firestar couldn't help but wonder: Blood... _Lion and Tiger will meet in battle, and Blood will rule the forest... _Blood... _From Blood, the Moon will come..._


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter one

All was quiet. There were no cars driving by, no humans walking about, not even a rat stirring. Rainstorm should have known it was all too good to last.

Every morning, the young gray she-cat made a point to get up earlier than everyone else to enjoy the peacefulness of the morning. She hated the city. It was too loud, smelly, and humans and cars were everywhere. If her brother wasn't leader of the Clan, Rainstorm would leave. She often dreamed of leaving, of living in the shade of the forest trees. _Yes, _ she had decided, _ That would be the life for me. _

Her brother's yowl broke the silence of the morning. Rainstorm's sister, Redheart, raised her head sleepily. "What does the mighty Scratch want now?" she grumbled. "Can't he just leave us alone this early in the morning?"

Rainstorm nodded her agreement. "He has been acting kind of strangely lately. I wonder what's up with him?"

Their brother, Scratch, yowled once more and they decided to go to the meeting rather than face his anger later. They walked into a small clearing and sat down next to a cat named Swift. Redheart meowed a friendly, "Hi Swift. How's training going?" Swift was a young learner, being taught under the mentoring of Scratch.

"Training is going fine," Swift tried to sound casual, but Rainstorm caught an edge to his voice.

"What's the matter-" Rainstorm was cut off by another loud yowl from her brother. Scratch bounded up to his perch on top of an old crumbling brick wall.

"Welcome, cats of BloodClan!" Scratch's ice blue eyes surveyed the cats below him. "I have called you all together today for a Clan meeting. An issue has recently come to my attention. BloodClan is getting bigger. So big, that some mother cats can not find enough food to feed their kits, and that our warriors have been weakened by lack of food."

Meows of shock met his last statement. Rainstorm and Redheart glanced at each other. They were both expecting kits, and wanted there to be enough food when their kits arrived.

Scratch continued, "In this time of crisis, I believe that in order to keep BloodClan strong, we need to be wary of other cats. Up until now, we have been allowing outsiders, rouges, to join our Clan. This must not continue. BloodClan is many, and we will stay strong for many moons as it is. So now, we must be aware: any cat with rouge blood will be exiled from the Clan from now on. We must not allow our Clan blood to be weakened by rouge blood. Rouge blood tends to have bad ways about it. Rouge's carry weak blood, and BloodClan has no room for weak blood. Rouge blood carries untrustworthiness with it. We do not need cats we can't trust. So from here on out: any cat that takes a rouge as a mate will be exiled. Any cat that brings a rouge into the clan will be exiled. And any cat who disobeys will be exiled. BloodClan has no room for extra cats who bring nothing but hungry mouths and empty stomachs. There will be no room for weakness," At this, Scratch turned and disappeared behind the wall, heading towards his den.

The Clan began to disperse, muttering about what Scratch had said. Swift, the learner, lowered his head sadly. "I'm not one to talk about a cat behind his back, but I overheard Scratch telling the same thing to a group of other cats, only he didn't say 'exiled', he said killed."

Rainstorm glanced nervously at her sister, who said reassuringly, "Swift, every thing's going to be fine. Scratch isn't like that. He wouldn't kill cats over a matter of bloodlines. He knows we are stronger-"

"-when we are together," Swift finished. "Yeah. That's what he told that group of cats he was talking to."

Redheart shook her head. "I wont believe it until I hear it for myself. No offense Swift, but you're just a learner, and Scratch is my brother. I am going to trust his word over yours. I'm sorry," With that, Redheart left to go hunting.

Rainstorm turned to Swift, "I agree that there is something fishy going on, but I am not prepared to believe that my brother would kill cats over an issue like this. Scratch may be fierce, but he's not a murderer. Not like our father Scourge..." she walked away, leaving Swift alone with his thoughts.

Rainstorm walked to the edge of the camp before she came along her sister. Redheart was hunting near an old broken down car. Rainstorm watched her sister as she dropped into a crouch, waiting for the right moment to pounce.

Suddenly, Rainstorm heard a rustling in the tall weeds on the side of the car. Alarmed at first, Rainstorm dropped into her crouch, fur bristling. The thing in the grass suddenly let out a yowl and pounced on Redheart's shoulder. Redheart let out a hiss of anger and swatted at her attacker, claws sheathed.

Rainstorm rolled her eyes. The attacker was none other than Bright, a small kit. Bright was always causing trouble and was always following Redheart around. Today was not a good day to combine the two.

"You stupid kit!" Redheart hissed. "You just lost me my breakfast!"

Bright's ginger and white fur was fluffed out with exhilaration. "Aw, come on. I was just having fun! Besides, that mouse you were trying to catch wasn't worth the trouble. It was tiny!"

Redheart looked impressed. "You saw that mouse the whole way over there?"

Bright shrugged. "I must have just had a good angle," she mewed modestly.

"Hmm," Redheart pondered. "Now leave me alone. I'm going to try and get some food. Again," she added pointedly.

Bright walked over to Rainstorm. "Wassa matter with her today? Usually she doesn't mind my jokes."

Rainstorm shrugged. "She's been kinda jumpy lately. Her kits are due soon. Maybe that has something to do with it."

Bright's green eyes lit up. "Oh yeah! Wow that'll be so cool! Finally I'll have other kits to play with!"

"Yeah, then you can stop bothering us!" Rainstorm batted at Bright playfully. The kit scrambled to her paws and pounced on Rainstorm. The scuffle continued for a minute, when suddenly someone said, "Shouldn't you be hunting?"

Rainstorm looked up to see Scratch standing over her with Swift close behind. The golden brown apprentice looked uneasy and kept his eyes on his paws. _What was going on? _"Come on Scratch," she said trying to be friendly. "The morning just started. I have plenty of time. And besides, someone has to look after this one," she nodded at Bright fondly.

But when she looked at her brother, Rainstorm's grin quickly faded. "What's up with you? You've been acting weird lately."

Scratch's eyes were chips of ice. "It's this food shortage. Our territory and the prey in it isn't able to support all the mangy rouge cats that have been allowed to join BloodClan. The real warriors need the food more than those dirty cats. I told you that this morning," he explained again.

"Scratch, just admit it: we're all rouges. We all were strays at one point or another. You cant just start kicking cats out. We're stronger when we're together." Rainstorm said, trying to talk sense. "And rouge blood isn't bad blood. Rouges are some of the nicest cats I've ever met," she finished, with a sinking feeling that she was giving something away.

Scratch's eyes traveled to Rainstorm's growing belly. "Ah, I see why you want to protect those rouges," he said, an evil smile creeping over his face. "Your kits aren't BloodClan kits, are they?"

Rainstorm met her brother's gaze unflinchingly. "I'm a BloodClan cat," she said.

"Half breeds!" Scratch spat. "They've got bad blood!"

"They're father died before he could become a BloodClan cat!" Rainstorm hissed frantically, defending her kits. "The kits have done nothing wrong! They'll never know they are half blood. They'll be loyal to BloodClan!"

Scratch heard none of this. _How dare his own sister betray him? She should have known better!_ He leaped at Rainstorm, claws extended. He pinned her to the ground and breathed in her ear, "You betrayed me! I wont let you slide because you're my sister." He raised a paw and brought it down swiftly, digging his claws into Rainstorm's side. At once, both cats broke apart, they're eyes were wide and staring. Scratch shook his head, "Rainstorm! I didn't mean it! I just got carried away!"

Rainstorm just backed away, the gash in her side bleeding openly. "You are no brother of mine." She turned from the clearing and staggered away.

Bright yelled, "Rainstorm! Come back!" but Rainstorm kept running, farther and farther away from the town, deeper into the forest.

She didn't know how long she was running, or where her feet were carrying her, but she was deep in the forest before the pain from her side finally slowed her down. Panting, she slowed to a walk and continued to stagger along at a drunken pace, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and her brother. She thought of the kits she was carrying inside her, and the effect that the wound would have on them. But that was a minor problem compared to the thought that had been nagging her since that morning. _Swift had been right all along,_ She thought, _and I refused to listen. _

The pain from her wound was almost unbearable now, so she sat down and rested. She listened for any sound of rustling, or any sign that the was being followed. When she heard none, Rainstorm began to clean her wound. Now that she was resting, she started to take in her surroundings. She was in a forest, that much she knew. Her sharp sense of smell picked up a breeze that carried the scent of water, and another scent much stronger than the first. _Cats!_ Rainstorm whirled around to see three ferocious cats crouched behind her, their fur bristling. She mimicked their aggressive stance, although she was in no condition to fight.

The largest of the three cats spoke. He was a dark tabby with broad shoulders. "What is your business here?" he asked.

Rainstorm hesitated, then spoke cautiously. "I am Rainstorm, of BloodClan."

The three cats exchanged glances. A white tom spoke, in tones that Rainstorm could barely hear. "BloodClan? BloodClan is gone." His voice rose. "We drove them out years ago. Firestar killed Scourge. Then we moved out of our territory. BloodClan couldn't have followed us here." He bared his teeth. "You had better get out of here..."

The tabby spoke again. "Quiet, Cloudtail. She may be here for a good reason." Although his voice was casual, there was still a hard edge to it. Rainstorm was surprised that his voice also carried a curious tone to it. The three cats weren't going to kill her, yet.

"I was hunting?" she meowed, racking her brains for a good excuse. As soon as she said it, she knew that it had not been a good excuse. Stupid, stupid, stupid... she thought. But the words were out now...

"Hunting?" the third cat, a gray tom, scoffed. "Yeah right. Spying is more like it."

The white tom, Cloudtail, nodded. "See," he said to the tabby. "Graystripe believes me. I say we chase her out now!"

The tabby, Brambleclaw, nodded reluctantly. "Alright, whatever." He turned to Rainstorm. "If we catch you on our territory again, we will attack you. Got it?" He growled and leaped towards her. Rainstorm ran for her life, the three cats close on her tail.

She had taken only a few steps when she realized that her wound had opened up again. Blood splashed onto the forest floor. Rainstorm felt herself growing weak. She was dizzy: the forest was dissolving around her. She fell to her knees, vaguely aware of Cloudtail, Graystripe, and Brambleclaw coming closer and closer. Then, she blacked out.

||**||

Redheart had returned to her den later that afternoon. She had caught two mice, one for herself and one for Rainstrom. Rainstorm, however, was nowhere to be found. After she had eaten her mouse, Redheart went to sleep for a few minutes. She had become rather lazy recently, and she always felt like she was out of energy. She knew her kitting time was to come soon, possibly any day now.

As Redheart drifted off to sleep, dreams flickered on the edge of her mind. She dreamed of Scratch. Her brother had brought her kits before the entire Clan. He said, "This is what becomes of cats with rouge blood in them," over and over again. The kit's frightened mewling grew louder and louder until Scratch raised a clawed paw, and the kits were silenced.

Redheart woke with a start. _Her_ kits were half-blood. _Their father_ had been a rouge. Would Scratch hold true to his non violent ways, or would he simply dispose of the kits as he had done in her dream? _No_, she told herself. _My brother isn't like that._ She drifted off to sleep again, this time empty and dreamless.

||**||

"Get Jayfeather," Brambleclaw ordered sharply. The white tom, Cloudtail nodded and raced off. Graystripe stood over Rainstorm, pressing a wad of cobwebs on her wound, a simple emergency treatment to stop the bleeding.

A few minutes later, Cloudtail returned with Jayfeather close behind him. The medicine cat's mouth was full with herbs and remedies. He laid them down and then began to treat Rainstorm's wounds as the three warriors watched anxiously behind him. Finally, Graystripe spoke, "She'll be alright, won't she?"

Jayfeather sighed, turning his sightless eyes to look at the warriors. "She'll live," he said bitterly. "How could you three be so stupid? Couldn't you see that she was injured to begin with, and expecting kits?"

The toms' eyes widened with shock. Then Cloudtail spoke, "She said she was from BloodClan. That's why we chased her out!"

Jayfeather narrowed his blind blue eyes. "BloodClan? You know the stories better than I do. BloodClan is gone. Done. Their leader died under the claws of Firestar. His spirit does not even hunt with StarClan. How can this cat be from BloodClan?"

Brambleclaw shrugged. "I don't know. That's just what she said."

"Alright," Jayfeather stood up. "There's nothing more I can do here. Let's get her back to camp."

"Into _our_ camp!? Are you crazy!? She's from _BloodClan!_" Cloudtail yowled.

"_And_ she's expecting kits, _and _she's injured. Are you just going to let her die?" Jayfeather said, slightly annoyed at the toms' stubbornness.

Brambleclaw and Graystripe both stepped forward to help lift the injured she-cat. Cloudtail followed reluctantly, and although he knew Jayfeather could not see, he had the uncanny feeling that the young medicine cat was watching every move he made.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Sister, I need to talk to you," Scratch entered Redheart's den later that afternoon. He sat down. "It's about Rainstorm."

Redheart was puzzled. After all, she had not seen her sister since earlier that morning. What had happened to her? "What about her?" she meowed.

"She questioned my motives and authority!" Scratch growled. "I never expected... not from my own sister!"

"Well what did you do to her?" Redheart said tersely. "She's expecting kits, you cant just throw her out of the Clan!"

"I threw her out just the same," Scratch turned away from Redheart. "Rainstorm doesn't trust me and therefor is more likely to betray me. I had no choice." He turned back to face his sister. "You trust me, don't you?"

Redheart hesitated. "Yes, I do." she meowed, even though that was not entirely true.

Scratch turned away and headed out of the den, "Well then I guess it's just you and me now."

Redheart blinked in surprise. "What about Swift, your learner?" she called after him.

Scratch turned around quickly. "Trust no one. I fear Swift may be following the same path as Rainstorm," he lowered his head an walked out, leaving Redheart alone with the growing suspicion that we was going to end up just like their father.

||**||

Rainstorm opened her eves a fraction. She was in some kind of cave. The cave smelled like herbs. She was in no hurry to get up. Wherever she was, she felt calm and secure. That is until-

"Good, you're awake!" a gray tom approached her.

Rainstorm bared her teeth and growled, "Get away from me!"

The tom's whisker's twitched in amusement, though his eyes did not follow her movements. He was blind. "Relax," he said. "I don't mean any harm. You've been through a lot today."

Rainstorm scoffed sarcastically, "You think? These three blundering idiots nearly chased me to death. I didn't know where I was, I was injured, scared."

"Well, you're safe now," the tom meowed arranging some herbs in the back of the den. "Those three 'idiots' got in a lot of trouble for chasing you." he turned back to Rainstorm. "I'm Jayfeather, by the way. I'm ThunderClan's medicine cat."

Rainstorm was puzzled. "ThunderClan? I've heard stories about ThunderClan, and their ferocious leader Firestar. My mother told me of my father's defeat when I was just a kit."

Jayfeather's brow furrowed. "Your father? What was his name?"

Rainstorm ducked her head awkwardly to avoid the blind cat's chilling gaze. "My father's name was Scourge. My brother Scratch is now the leader of BloodClan. I'm afraid he will become as blood-thirsty as our father. That's why I ran away. He gave me this wound."

Jayfeather looked concerned on a number of levels. "Can you explain this to our leader? I'm sure he would like to hear this for himself."

Rainstorm suddenly became shy. "I don't want to get my brother killed. Your leader killed my father."

Jayfeather looked anxious. "Firestar is my grandfather. He's not a violent cat. He won't hate your brother for who your father was."

Rainstorm shrugged, still unsure. "Alright, I guess I can tell him."

Jayfeather nodded. "I'll bring him to you," he disappeared out of the cave and padded off towards his leader's den.

||**||

"Firestar!" Jayfeather called. "The young she-cat wishes to speak with you."

Firestar looked up from the squirrel he was eating. "Now?"

"Yes, now!" Jayfeather said crossly. "And what she has to say is important."

Firestar stood up, stretched and yawned. "Alright, I'll come."

||**||

Rainstorm looked up nervously as the leader entered the medicine cavern. His bright ginger fur was laid flat and his green eyes were calm. He showed no signs of aggression, but even so, Rainstorm was intimidated.

Firestar sat down. "So, who are you exactly?"

"I am Rainstorm, from BloodClan." As she said her name, Rainstorm felt a little more confident, but under the leader's concerned glare, her confidence dwindled again.

"If you are from BloodClan, what are you doing here? I thought BloodClan was scattered years ago." Firestar said, puzzled.

Rainstorm hesitated. Firestar was intimidating, but she liked him all the same. She respected him and she began to tell her story. "When I was just a kit, my mother used to tell me and my litter mates stories. Typical BloodClan tales, they often involved murder, betrayal or something else unfit for kits to hear. One day, she told us the story of what we cats call the Great Scattering; the defeat of my father Scourge."

Firestar glanced at Jayfeather. That news was new to him. He turned to study Rainstorm. "You look a bit like him. Small, but quick and athletic. And your eyes are so blue, just like his were. Continue on," he said encouragingly.

Rainstorm continued, "My sister Redheart and I were smart enough to understand that the story was meant to teach us a lesson: that ultimate, cruel power corrupts. My brother Scratch was not so smart. He vowed to us that one day, under his rule, BloodClan would reunite once more.

"He got his wish. Shortly after your clans had to leave the forest, we left too. The three of us traveled through the mountains and found a small development similar to the one we had left behind. My brother gathered some stray ally-cats and named the mismatched group 'BloodClan'. His intentions were good at first, but now I am afraid he is going down the path of our father."

"Does he believe in StarClan?" Firestar asked somewhat randomly.

Taken aback, Rainstorm stumbled, "I-I don't think so. My sister and I do, but Scratch was never one for _those_ stories."

"And he gave you this?" Firestar flicked his paw at her wound.

"Yes. I didn't like what he was saying so he up and slashed me. Then I ran away. That's how I ended up here. I had just stopped to rest when those three toms showed up." Rainstorm finished.

"Hmm," Firestar pondered. "And judging by the rest of your story, your brother is threatening to kill any cat who opposes him?"

Rainstorm was impressed that Firestar understood so quickly. "Yes," she said, "That's why I ran away. I had to."

Firestar was troubled by the young she-cat's words. "Are there any other cats who may be in a similar situation?"

Rainstorm thought a minute, "Well, Dusk and Silver, they're sisters, good friends of mine... Oh and Swift and Bright. They're probably in the most trouble. They're on my side. They don't trust Scratch at all. I am not sure about my sister. I actually haven't talked to her since my incident with Scratch."

"Do you think that if you went back to BloodClan, they would come with you back to the forest?"

Rainstorm's eyes widened with hope. "Do you mean it? Come and live in the woods? I've always dreamed..."

"For the time being, yes." Firestar meowed, "But as soon as we get this situation sorted out, you and your 'escapees' are on your own."

"We?" Rainstorm flattened her ears. "This is my problem. I appreciate every thing you have done for me, Firestar, but you don't need to put your cats in danger for my Clanmates. It's my problem. I can sort it out."

"Rainstorm," Firestar meowed gently, "Think about it logically. You are expecting kits, and your brother already tried to kill you once. I'm offering you help. If you refuse to take it, you are a fool."

Rainstorm thought about Scratch, and how she had thought she knew him. She thought about Bright and Swift. They were practically kits. They could suffer under the claws of Scratch for no reason. She could not let that happen. Could she really rescue all those cats by herself? "Alright." she finally said. "What's the plan?"

Firestar stood up. "When you are strong enough, we will go and take with us any cat who opposes Scratch."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The next day, Rainstorm ventured out of the medicine cat's den for the first time. The ThunderClan camp was amazing. The rock walls were steep and smooth, warrior and apprentices' dens built into the side of the wall. Everything was so natural. There was not a car in sight, no humans, no houses or anything.

"Hey, Rainstorm!" Brambleclaw and Cloudtail were running across the clearing towards her.

"Hi," Rainstorm said uneasily, recognizing these cats as the same toms that had chased her the day before.

"We're just here to say we're sorry," Cloudtail meowed. "We acted too quickly, without thinking."

Rainstorm narrowed her eyes. She admired the toms' courage. Not many cats would come up to a stranger and apologize. Even so, she felt there might be another motive behind their apology.

"So to make it up to you," Brambleclaw said, "We'll join you in helping to get your friends out of BloodClan."

Rainstorm's guess was right. Even so, she wanted them on her side. "Alright," she dipped her head in agreement. "I'd be glad for your help. Are there any more that may want to help?"

Cloudtail flicked his tail towards the warrior's den. "I'll ask everyone. In the meantime, you, Brambleclaw and Firestar should be discussing tactics. I'll see you later!" The white warrior then bounded off to the warrior's den.

"Why do I have to discuss tactics with you?" Rainstorm asked, still wary of the big, dark, tabby tom. "You're not the leader."

Brambleclaw flexed his muscles. "That is true. However, I _am_ deputy and I am going on this trip. Therefore, I have the right to know." he padded off towards Fire star's den, with Rainstorm close on his heels.

||**||

Redheart lay in her den, licking her kits to warm them. She was exhausted. Even with Bright's help, kitting was hard work. She wished Rainstorm was here with her. Three beautiful kits. Redheart gazed at them proudly. Two of them looked just like herself, a dull ginger color. One of them, however, looked exactly like their father. This small kit kad dark black fur with a light gray belly and face.

"Emberkit and Flamekit," she named each of the ginger ones in turn. "And Raggedkit," she murmured, brushing the black kit gently with her tail. Raggedcoat was the name of the kits' father. It seemed fitting to honor him by the name of his son. had

Bright, who Redheart had sent out to get some food, was now entering the den with two field mice. "Awww," she said, dropping the mice. "They are so beautiful!"

Redheart smiled proudly. "Yes, they are."

"Have you named them yet?" Bright squeaked eagerly.

"Emberkit, Flamekit, and Raggedkit," Redheart said fondly.

"Why are their names so weird? My name doesn't have 'kit' at the end of it!" Bright exclaimed, surprised by the different style of name.

"That's a Clan tradition," Redheart explained gently. "My mother taught it to me and my siblings. When I was young, my name was Redkit, then when I got older and began to learn to hunt, my name was changed to Redpaw, and now that I am full grown, my name is Redheart."

"So why isn't Scratch's special like yours?"

"He chose to go against tradition and drop that part of his name. Besides, his full grown name was Scratchface," Redheart twitched her whiskers in amusement.

Bright laughed. "I want a name like yours when I am older!"

"Maybe you'll get one," Redheart yawned. "Now I'm tired. It's been a rough day. Lets get some sleep, shall we?"

||**||


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Rainstorm was annoyed. Firestar wasn't going to lead the attack on BloodClan until she was strong enough to lead it. _Innocent blood could be being spillt while we are waiting,_ Rainstorm thought. It had been nearly three moons since she had come to live with ThunderClan. She had had her kits, but only one of the two had survived. The other two were born dead, no doubt from her violent exodus from BloodClan. She had named the kit Icekit, because of his eyes. They were the traditional icy blue, just like Rainstorm's, and Rainstorm's mother's, and Scourge's. He was nearing 3 moons of age, and he was rowdy and hyper all the time. _If only Bright were here, _Rainstorm wished, _She could have had a playmate..._

The more Rainstorm watched over Icekit, the more she fretted about her sister and the others that remained in BloodClan. It was driving her crazy. She decided to talk to Firestar about it.

She entered the Leader's den confidently. Rainstorm no longer feared Firestar, but she respected him like she would if she was a true warrior of ThunderClan. "Firestar," she started, "I am truly concerned for my Clan mate's safety. If I do not return soon, I fear it will be too late."

Firestar nodded. "If you are feeling well enough, we'll lead the attack tonight."

Rainstorm's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Firestar!" She began to leave the den.

"Rainstorm!" Firestar called. She turned. "You have a good heart. Something tells me you'd make a fine leader."

Rainstorm dipped her head in thanks. She didn't know what to say. She left the den, and rushed to the nursery to tell her son. "Icekit!" she called. "Come here!"

The little white tom-kit scampered over. His one black ear flicked towards his mother, showing her he was paying attention. "You called?" he mewed.

"A group of us is going back to BloodClan to help free some that may be receiving some of your Uncle's anger. I was wondering-"

"Why of _course_ I'll go with you! I'd be _flattered_ to help-"

"Icekit." Rainstorm said shortly. She wasn't in the mood for her son's theatrics. "I was wondering if you'd be OK by yourself for one night. You could stay with Daisy if you want."

"_Gee_ mom, of course I'll be alright," Icekit said, rolling his eyes. "It's not like I'll die or something if you're gone for a few hours."

"OK, ok, just making sure..." Rainstorm said, half annoyed, half amused. "Come on, lets see some of those battle moves we were working on." She swiped a sheathed paw at her son's black ear. He dodged, quick as lightning, then gave Rainstorm three alternating swipes with his front paws before darting back out again.

"Good! You've really got some warrior skills!" Rainstorm mrrowed with laughter. "Let's try this one..."

~**~

"Psst! Redheart!" A strange cat was standing outside Redheart's den, trying to get her attention. The sun was not yet setting, but she and her three kits were sleeping like stones already. The cat glanced over his shoulder, as if afraid, then flicked some gravel at Redheart, trying to wake her. "Hey, Redheart!"

Redheart jerked awake, glancing around wildly. "Raggedcoat? What are you doing here?"

Raggedcoat looked fondly at the sleeping kits. "I had to see them. I might not have had another chance. I've been trying to get in for weeks. Apparently your brother doesn't like rogues. He's put up extra patrols to chase off any cat who gets too close."

"So how _did _ you get in?" Redheart asked while prodding the kits to wake them up.

"There were no patrols this morning. I slipped in and have been hiding out around here hoping for a glimpse of you," he brushed his muzzle against Redheart's side. "I miss you."

"Hey, mom? Whadaya want?" Raggedkit murmured, only half awake.

"I want you three to meet your father. Raggedcoat, this is Emberkit, Flamekit, and Raggedkit." Rainstorm said, tapping each one respectively with her tail.

Raggedcoat was radiant with delight. "They're gorgeous!" he meowed.

"And they are going to crow up and become warriors, just like their father," Redheart purred, rubbing up against Raggedcoat lovingly.

"And beautiful, just like their mother," Raggedcoat touched noses with Redheart as their tails intertwined. Lost in the moment, they didn't' notice another cat staring at them until Raggedkit squealed, "Mom! Look out!"

Raggedcoat and Redheart sprung apart and turned around to see Scratch rake his claws across Ragged coat's face. "Rogue!" Scratch screeched. "These kits are half-blood! Get them!" At this, three dark warriors entered the already crowded den. Each of them seized a kit and rushed out again.

Raggedcoat struggled to his feet. "Where are you taking them?"

Scratch laughed, a high, cold laugh that didn't suit his voice. "Why should I tell you? Filthy rogue!" he struck Raggedcoat down again.

Redheart pounced, claws extended. Scoring her claws down Scratch's shoulder, she yelled, "Stop! Raggedcoat has done nothing to harm you, nor have the kits!"

Scratch's eyes gleamed in the dim light. "No, but _you_ have!" He threw Redheart off his shoulder as easy as he would a bothersome kit. "Is this lousy excuse for a cat the father of these kits?"

"So what if he is?" Redheart snarled back.

Scratch laughed again. "You know my law. You, your kits, and this filthy rogue are unworthy to serve in this Clan any longer. You must be punished."

"And what is the punishment?" Redheart dared to ask.

Scratch paused. "That is still to be decided." He left the den leaving Redheart and Raggedcoat alone.

"You should leave," Redheart started, turning away in grief.

"No." Raggedcoat said gently, "I'm staying here. I wont leave until I know that you four are safe."

"Thank you," Redheart purred.

Scratch entered the den again. "Come with me," he said sharply. "The sun is setting."

"What does he mean, 'the sun is setting'?" Raggedcoat whispered.

"I don't know," Redheart said numbly, "But it cant be good.

Over the roofs of distant houses, the shy was blood red. The sun had already sunk beneath the horizon. Soon, the moon would be out. Redheart thought about Rainstorm, and how she used to watch the sun rise and set each day. But Rainstorm wasn't here.

Scratch paced back and forth in the middle of the clearing, looking more troubled than Redheart had ever seen him.

"I don't understand..." he murmured. "Why you? Why my own sister?"

Redheart knew that Scratch was talking about her and Raggedcoat: how they weren't supposed to be together. "I love him," she said simply. "Very much."

"Which do you love more?" Scratch asked, still pacing. "The kits, or the rouge?"

"That's just an unrealistic question," Redheart said uneasily. "Of course I love the kits, but I also love Raggedcoat. If I did not love him, there would be no kits."

"There shouldn't have been any kits," Scratch glared at his sister, his black pelt was bristling with anger. "Your half-blood kits are weak! They will do nothing but hinder this clan. They have to go."

"Go where? They shouldn't have to go anywhere!" Raggedcoat spoke up. "What have these kits ever done to you?"

At the sound of raised voices, cats had begun to come into the clearing, hungry to hear what was going on. Bright and Swift were there, along with a few others that opposed Scratch. At Raggedcoat's last words, a light brown she-cat named Dusk spoke up. "Yes! It is unfair to harm innocent kits! They have not done anything to harm you or BloodClan!"

"They haven't done anything yet, but just you wait!" Scratch yowled. "Weak blood is bad blood! Mixed blood tends to corrupt! I must stop this from happening!" Scratch was hysterical now, screeching and yowling loud enough to wake the humans down the street.

Through this tirade, one young cat sat silently, waiting to speak. When Scratch was done yowling, the young cat said very quietly, "Is that what happened to you?"

All heads turned to stare in disbelief at the tiny black and gray kit that had dared to speak against Scratch.

"What do you mean, kit?" Scratch snarled.

Raggedkit showed no sign of fear. He gazed up at Scratch with innocent eyes. "Well, you are of mixed blood, just like us. Our mother told us so. Your father may have been Scourge, but your mother was a stray. Is mixed blood what made you so mean?"

Scratch smiled a dangerously sweet smirk. "Alright kit, you're smart. I could use a level headed cat on my side. Join me, and you can become the greatest warrior that ever lived."

Raggedkit was not fooled. "I will never join you," he hissed. "I am not so naive that I cannot see you for who you really are."

Scratch sighed, "Then you give me no choice." He lunged for the small kit, but Raggedcoat sprung in his way.

"Don't touch my son," he snarled.

"Oh, isn't this _touching?_" Scratch hissed in a voice thick with sarcasm. "Tell me, how far would you go for your kits?"

"I'd die for them," Raggedcoat yowled bravely.

"Good." Scratch sprung like lightning on top of Raggedcoat's shoulders, claws Scratching violently. Raggedcoat flipped Scratch off of his back, but in the process, accidentally exposed his belly. Scratch flicked his claw,and in one swift move, sliced his belly open.

Raggedcoat staggered to his feet, then swayed unsteadily for a moment, unsure as to what had happened. A pool of blood was seeping from his belly. He labored for breath. "Kits... don't forget me. I love you." He collapsed on the ground. The light faded from the great tom's eyes, and his body fell limp.

A great wailing rose from the crowd of cats. Some of them turned and ran away. Redheart stayed where she was, eyes wide with horror. Raggedkit was slowly backing away, shaking his head in disbelief. Emberkit and Flamekit, who had been silent this whole time, started mewling and crying for their mother. Redheart started to approach them, but suddenly became distracted.

Cats, bigger cats than Redheart had ever seen were crying battle cries and launching themselves into the fray of BloodClan cats below. By the light of the moon, BloodClan was being invaded!


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for all the adds! I really appreciate it! Enjoy this next chapter in Moonrise. **

Rainstorm and her troop of ThunderClan cats had watched the previous scene, eyes wide with horror. "He is just like his father," Firestar had meowed in disbelief.

"Alright," Rainstar meowed, "Here's the plan. Squirrelflight, Brightheart, and Sandstorm will make sure that the cats who oppose Scratch will leave safely. I will round up those cats and lead them to you. The rest of you, fight like you normally do. I don't know your codes very well. If you get close enough to kill Scratch, well, he's my brother, but he's too dangerous to be kept alive." Her voice betrayed the pain she felt as she spoke those last words. But with vigor and a dangerous glint in her eyes, she gave the cats the command to go and bounded into the fray.

~~***~~

Redheart didn't know where to run. She grabbed Raggedkit by the scruff and turned around for the other two kits, but they were gone. She heard a mewling and turned to see Scratch pinning Emberkit and Flamekit down. Scratch turned his dark face toward his sister. "This is what becomes of kits with weak blood," he snarled, the light of insanity in his eyes.

Redheart knew what was coming before it happened. "No!" she screeched.

Scratch raised a clawed paw, and the kits' mewling was silenced forever.

"Raggedkit, go to the den!" Redheart cried. He scampered off as his mother launched herself at her brother.

"What more can you take away from me?" She snarled. "My heart is broken." She raised a paw and scored Scratch's belly.

"You'll have to do better than that, Brokenheart," he sneered, insulting her. He sprang up, knocking Redheart to the ground. She countered with a blow to Scratch's face, scratching his eyes. Scratch wailed in pain. He was blind. Redheart had no mercy for him now. She pinned him down.

"No! Please! I'll give you anything!" He wailed in desperation.

"Leadership?" Redheart snarled.

"Yes," Scratch hissed.

"Territory?"

"Yes."

Redheart bent close and whispered in Scratch's ear, "I want my family back." With that, she swung her claws across his throat. The dark cat was dead.

||***||

Rainstorm hurried over to where the three ThunderClan she-cats were standing, waiting to take the rebels back to the forest. "Here," she panted. "This is Dusk, Silver, and Bright." Rainstorm turned to the BloodClan she-cats. "These are Squirrelflight, Sandstorm and Brightheart. They'll help you get out of here." She turned to leave again. "I'll get the others and meet you back at the camp."

Rainstorm sprinted to find her sister and Swift. She ran into Cloudtail and Brackenfur instead. "Hey, can you help me find Redheart and Swift?"

Brackenfur nodded, "What do they look like?"

"Redheart is a dark ginger tabby, and Swift is dark ginger with a white belly and face," Rainstorm explained briefly.

Rainstorm headed off toward her old den. Of all places, that was where Redheart should be. She glanced over her shoulder often, scouting for any sign of Scratch. The camp, however, was empty. Rainstorm had always liked the silence, but now it was just eerie. She figured that the other BloodClan cats had scattered all over the neighborhood. She sighed. How was she going to find Redheart?

She stuck her head inside the den. "Redheart?" She whispered, "It's me." There was no reply. Rainstorm took one more step into the den, but was suddenly ambushed by two cats.

"Ouch! Mrrow! Get off!" Rainstorm batted at her attackers. She recognized Swift's smell, but the other cat's identity was a mystery. "Swift! Stop! It's me, Rainstorm!"

Suddenly, one of her attackers backed away. The other one still clung to her, it's tiny paws flailing wildly.

"Raggedkit, you can stop now, she's a friend," Swift said, whiskers twitching. Raggedkit sat down and pouted. Clearly he wanted to fight more.

"OK Swift, we have to go. Scratch is insane! You have to leave or else he will kill you!" Rainstorm said frantically.

Swift looked unfased. "What's the rush? Scratch is dead."

"Yeah, so we have to--_ what!?_" Rainstorm said in disbelief. "Scratch is dead? What happened?"

"Redheart killed him. He killed-"

"I know. I was him kill Raggedcoat," Rainstorm meowed.

"He didn't just kill Raggedcoat." Swift lowered his voice and leaned towards Rainstorm. "He killed two of her kits too, the youngest, Emberkit and Flamekit."

Rainstorm shook her head. "No," she said in disbelief. "It can't be true."

"It is," Raggedkit's tiny mew was barely audible. "I'm the only kit left now."

Rainstorm wrapped her tail around her nephew and pulled him close. "There there," she said soothingly. "I have a kit back in the forest who you will enjoy playing with. He's your cousin, Icekit."

"Can he be my brother?" Raggedkit asked, eyes full of sadness. "I miss my brothers."

Rainstorm purred, "Yes, if you want. Now we have to find your mother. We also have to find the other ThunderClan cats. Have you seen any strangers lately?"

Swift gave her multiple blank looks. "What's the rush?" He meowed. "Scratch is dead. Redheart is next in line for leadership. What do we have to fear now?"

It was Rainstorm's turn to stare. "I can't believe you're that mousebrained! Scratch's supporters aren't just going to step aside for Redheart and watch her become leader!"

Swift nodded, "True, but if one of them is leader, well..." he paused. "They can't be much worse than Scratch."

Rainstorm rolled her eyes in exasperation. "They won't be better than Scratch! Don't you see? Scratch had you marked down for exile because you were the first to doubt him. Do you think that Scratch's supporters don't remember that?"

For once, Swift looked worried, "Oh yeah," he muttered. "I guess we should go..." his voice trailed off as he started out of the den.

When Rainstorm was out of the den, she took the lead. Signaling with her tail, she told the two young toms to keep as low as possible. By the light of the moon, they made their way around to the ledge where Scratch used to sit. In front of it, a lithe she-cat was digging a large hole in the ground. There were two other smaller holes beside it. Raggedkit bowed his head in silent grievance for his dead family. Rainstorm's hear ached for the tiny kit. He had already lost so much in his short life.

Redheart dragged Raggedstorm's body into the hole, as gently as she could. Into the two smaller holes, she lay the two kits. Scratch's body, however, she left sit out so that all of the cats would know of his defeat.

Then, after scraping earth back onto the holes. Redheart turned to face her sister and remaining kit. Rainstorm rushed to her, purring comfortingly and nuzzling her side. Redheart sat down, looking 10 years older then the cat who had been hunting with Rainstorm just a few moons ago. Raggedkit came over and sat with the two sisters. For a moment, all was peaceful. Then, Swift said hesitantly, "Not to interrupt or anything, but didn't you say that we needed to leave as soon as possible?"

Rainstorm looked up. "Oh, yes," she stood up and nudged her sister, who seemed to be frozen with shock. "Come on, we have to get out of here."

Redheart shook herself and stood up. Without glancing behind her to view the the freshly filled in graves, she walked forward to follow Rainstorm.

The four cats quickened their pace, trying to leave camp as soon as possible. They turned a corner, and ran smack into Firestar, Graystripe, and Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw hissed and sprung back in alarm. When he realized who it was, he turned to his leader sheepishly and said, "Hey, it never hurts to be cautious."

Firestar twitched his whiskers in faint amusement. He turned to the group and addressed Rainstorm. "Is this everyone?"

Rainstorm nodded. "Lets get out of here."

The party of cats now ran past the row of twoleg nests and into the forest. Rainstorm and Firestar led the way back to camp. Brambleclaw and Graystripe helped to the battle weary BloodClan cats over fallen logs and through the small creeks that combed the forest. Finally, they arrived back at the ThunderClan camp. Firestar took the lead into the camp, with Graystripe and Brambleclaw flanking the the group of outsiders. The group entered the camp and walked calmly through the the medicine cat's den, ignoring the curious stares of apprentices and hostile glances from warriors and elders.

Firestar entered the medicine cats den, and sent Graystripe and Brambleclaw off to get fresh kill for the travel weary cats.

Rainstorm glanced around to see the familiar friendly face of Jayfeather. "Hello again, Rainstorm!" he meowed. "I was just treating your clanmates."

Rainstorm looked concerned. "Any serious injuries?"

Jayfeather shook his head. "No," he replied, "But I had to give them all strengthening herbs. Right now all they need is rest."

"Do you think I could see them for a moment?"

Jayfeather nodded. "I'll see to the newcomers." though blind, he walked with confidence over to where Swift, Redheart and Raggedkit were sitting, and ushered them deeper into the medicine den.

Rainstorm walked to a corner of the den, where healing cats made their nests to sleep. Rainstorm had no sooner set foot onto the area, when a flying ball of ginger and white fur hit her like a rock.

"Ow, Bright! Get off, you great lump!" Rainstorm pushed the kit off her, only to bring her close again for a nuzzle. "I've missed you."

"We've missed you too," a voice came from behind Bright. Dusk and Silver, two she-cat sisters rose and walked over to greet her.

"So what happened after we left?" Silver inquired, her light gray fur glinting in the half light.

Rainstorm briefly told of the death of Redheart's two kits and of Scratch. When she was finished, the other cats were looking somber. "Thanks for getting us out of there," Dusk murmured. "I wouldn't have wanted to see that."

Rainstorm tried to change the subject. "So what have you three been doing in the past hour that you've been here?"

Silver's eyes gleamed. "Jayfeather told me all about the different herbs we've been given. It's really neat! The healing techniques are so different than anything I've ever experienced."

Jayfeather popped his head into the den. "Silver caught on really quickly. She's got the marks of a true medicine cat." At this, Silver bowed her head and smoothed her chest fur, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Other than that," Dusk meowed, "All we've done is sit here, eat and rest. I feel useless."

Bright nodded. "I want to help hunt or something! I hate feeling so useless."

Rainstorm smiled gently. "Maybe you can go out tomorrow. I'll take you around to see the territory. For now," she nudged a scrap of moss with her paw. "Make your beds and rest."

Bright circled her piece of moss, then lay down. "Bye Rainstorm!" she mewed. "See you tomorrow!"

"Bye you three," Rainstorm said as she exited the medicine den. Exhaustion consumed her as she started back to her den in the nursery. Dragging her paws, she entered the nursery only to be tackled again by a white kit.

"Gotcha mom!" Icekit squealed. "I bet you didn't see that one coming!"

"No," Rainstorm yawned, "I didn't see anything coming. Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"I wasn't tired," Icekit said, bouncing around in place to prove his point.

"Well, I am," Rainstorm yawned again. "So go to bed." She curled up into a ball.

Icekit pouted for a second, the shrugged and lay down, his fur touching his mother's. They both fell asleep in seconds.


	7. Chapter 6

Rainstorm awoke the next day feeling refreshed. Icekit was already up and about, probably getting into some sort of trouble. She decided to go check on her sister and the other BloodClan cats. Padding across the clearing, she spotted Icekit over at the apprentices den, talking to his ThunderClan friends. _Its a shame that he can't become an apprentice, _Rainstorm thought. _Icekit would have so much fun. _ She turned down the tunnel that led to the medicine cat's den.

"Ah, hello Rainstorm!" Jayfeather greeted her.

Rainstorm marveled at the young tom's uncanny ability to sense things before they happened. "Can I visit with the BloodClan cats?" she asked, remembering her season for coming.

Jayfeather nodded. Rainstorm headed back to where the BloodClan cats were staying. She entered the cavern to be greeted with purrs and friendly meows. Greeting each cat in turn, she turned to her sister, Redheart.

"How are you doing?" Rainstorm asked in an undertone.

Redheart sighed. "My heart aches for the lost ones."

Rainstorm nodded somberly, understanding her grief. "How about Raggedkit?"

Redheart managed a half smile for her kit, who was over taking to Swift. "He just needs something to keep him pre-occupied."

The silver-blue queen's eyes lit up. "Hey, do you think he'd like to meet Icekit, his cousin? I'm sure having a playmate would cheer him up."

"Go ahead," Redheart yawned. "I think I could do with a bit more rest."

Ranstorm walked over to her nephew. "Hey Raggedkit. I have someone I want you to meet." She started walking out of the cavern with a curious Raggedkit close on her heels.

"Icekit!" she called. "Come!"

The white kitten bounded over. "Yeah mom?"

"I want you to meet someone," she tuned to the dark gray kit behind her. "Raggedkit, this is Icekit. Icekit, Raggedkit. He's your cousin."

"Nice to meet you," Icekit said politely.

"Likewise," Raggedkit said shyly.

"Hey, Icekit," Rainstorm had a sudden idea. "Why don't you show Raggedkit around the camp?"

Icekit's blue eyes brightened. "Okay!" He turned to Raggedkit. "Let's go this way first. I'll show you where the warriors live!" He scampered off, sending dust flying, with Raggedkit close behind him.

"Try not to get in the way!" Rainstorm called after them, knowing that Icekit was bound to get into some sort of trouble.

"Yeah mom, whatever," Icekit said without breaking his stride.

Rainstorm sighed, half amused, half exasperated. Kits will be kits. She headed back to offer the rest of the BloodClan cats a tour. She made a mental note to thank Firestar for all the help he was giving them. Because of him, life was good.

Rainstorm woke up quite a few moons later in the warriors den of ThunderClan. Most of the cats had now accepted Rainstorm as another ThunderClan warrior. She made a fine addition to the clan, and she enjoyed living there. _Besides, _she thought, stretching, _the rest of the cats seem in no hurry to leave._

Dusk had delivered a litter of kittens: two she-kits named Dawnkit and Mistykit. The were settled comfortably in the nursery. Silver had begun learning more about healing from Jayfeather Bright, Raggedkit and Icekit had all become apprenticed. Bright, now Brightpaw, was being taught under Squirrelflight's mentorship. Raggedkit, now Raggedpaw, was leaning from Cloudtail. Brambleclaw was teaching Icepaw all he knew. Swift had also continued his apprentice training as Swiftpaw, under the leadership of Graystripe. They were all becoming great warriors. Their mentors loved them as they loved the young cats of their own clan, and the young cats looked up to the warriors with great respect. Even Redheart had become more cheerful these days, and was continuing to serve ThunderClan as a warrior.

There was only one problem nagging Rainstorm for all these moons. Although she enjoyed living in ThunderClan, she knew that the BloodClan cats couldn't stay in ThunderClan forever. They all had belonged to BloodClan, and even though that Clan was now gone, Rainstorm knew that they could never truly become a part of ThunderClan.

"So where could we go?" Rainstorm had posed that question to Firestar several days ago. Since then, he ad been sending out patrols to explore the north-most edge of his boundaries. Several cats had returned, saying that beyond the territory, there was nothing but fields and woodland, with an occasional stream here and there. To Rainstorm, it sounded perfect; plenty of open space, no humans, and no monsters. But the rest of the Clan wasn't quite ready for that change, so she decided to keep it quiet.

Being careful not to wake the senior warriors, Rainstorm treaded out of the den and into the clearing. Across the way, she saw three apprentice heads poking eagerly out at her.

"Hi, Rainstorm!" Brightpaw mewed, leaping over to her.

"Yeah, hi Rainstorm," Icepaw and Raggedpaw chimed.

"Hi you three. Has anyone seen Swiftpaw? His assessment is today, I was supposed to find him because Graystripe is on the dawn patrol," Rainstorm explained.

"Um, I think Swiftpaw is hanging out with Jayfeather," Icepaw said. "And Jayfeather is either in his den or in the nursery."

"Thanks Icepaw," Rainstorm said, giving her son a quick nuzzle, then leaving to find Swiftpaw.

Sure enough, Jayfeather and Swiftpaw were in the nursery, playing with Dusk's kits. Rainstorm noticed how much Swift was showing off and watching Dawnkit closely. Dawnkit was purring with amusement at Swiftpaw's silly back-flips and staged fights between him and Jayfeather. Mistykit just rolled her eyes. Toms could be so immature.

Whiskers twitching in amusement, Rainstorm entered the nursery. "Hate to break up the show, but," She turned to Swiftpaw who gulped nervously, all cockiness gone. "It's time for your assessment."

Swiftpaw nervously flattened down his coat and walked towards the nursery entrance. Dawnkit called after him, "Good luck, Swiftpaw!"

Swiftpaw turned around, gave Dawnkit a grateful smile and headed out of the nursery. Rainstorm shot a questioning glance at Mistykit, who just tolled her eyes. "Swiftpaw and Dawnkit sittin' in a tree, K-i-s-s-i-n-g!" The gray kit teased her sister.

Rainstorm followed Swiftpaw out to the clearing to escape the nursery where a wrestling match had ensued. _Silly, silly kittens,_ she thought, remembering the time not so long ago when Swift himself was a kit, pouncing on butterflies and wrestling with Bright.


	8. Chapter 7

**Authors Note: Thanks to all who have added this story to their favorites or given me any feedback! It is really appreciated! If you enjoyed this story, be sure to check the bottom of the page for updates on the next installment of this series. Thanks!**

Graystripe and Firestar were sitting by the entrance of the camp, briefing Swiftpaw on what he would have to do.

"You're going to go on a solo hunting mission out to the Ancient Oak," Firestar explained. "Try to catch as much prey as you can, but don't do anything out of your league."

"I'll be watching you the entire time, but I'll stay hidden," Graystripe said. "If by chance, you see me, don't talk to me."

"Why not?" Swiftpaw asked.

"I-um..." Graystripe turned to Firestar, "Why aren't apprentices allowed to talk during assessments?"

Firestar laughed, "I've got no idea! It's just something our mentors told us when we were apprentices."

"Anyway," Graystripe turned back to Swiftpaw. "Time to get started. Do you know how to get to the Oak?"

Swiftpaw nodded nervously, then headed out of the camp. Graystripe turned to Rainstorm. "Do you want to come along?" he meowed.

"Sure," Rainstorm never passed up an opportunity to learn more about Clan life.

"Get something to eat. We'll give him a head start," Graystripe said, flicking his tail towards the fresh kill pile.

Rainstorm headed over and picked up a plump vole from the pile. She padded over to her sister who was eating a squirrel on the far side of the clearing.

"Firestar said his patrols found territory on the northeast side of ThunderClan's territory," Rainstorm began.

"Good," Redheart nodded. "It's great here and all, but we shouldn't take advantage of Firestar's good hospitality for too much longer."

"Yes. Once Swiftpaw and the rest of the apprentices are ready to become warriors, we should leave and settle down elsewhere," Rainstorm posed this theory to Redheart, who agreed.

Graystripe called to Rainstorm across the clearing. "Time to go," he said, heading towards the camp entrance.

Rainstorm swallowed the rest of her vole and headed out the tunnel behind Graystripe. As they walked towards the Oak, the two warriors discussed Swiftpaw and how well he was doing. "Where did he learn such interesting fighting moves?" Graystripe asked. "Half of the time, Swiftpaw was teaching _me_ stuff."

"His old mentor was my brother, Scratch," Rainstorm explained. "Scratch my have been a madman and a murderer, but all three of us are exceptional fighters, if I may say so myself. I think it's hereditary."

Graystripe chuckled, "Hereditary, I'm sure."

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Graystripe picked up his apprentice's trail, and soon found Swiftpaw.

The ginger apprentice was stalking a vole. The creature was on the roots of a tree. Swiftpaw followed the vole, careful to put the weight into his haunches so that he wouldn't startle the animal. Then, crouching down, Swiftpaw leaped towards the vole and caught it between his outstretched paws. Before the vole could make a sound, the apprentice killed it with a swift bite to the back of the neck. He then buried the animal and moved along the territory, towards the WindClan boarder.

"His hunting skills are good," Rainstorm commented quietly to Graystripe.

"Yes, but I want to see how he'll do if our territory is invaded by enemy cats. Let's see if we can catch a WindClan patrol quickly." Graystripe raced silently over the forest floor, with Rainstorm close behind him.

Luckily, they didn't have to wait long. A WindClan patrol was passing by, somewhat close to the boarder. "Stay hidden," Graystripe directed Rainstorm who crouched behind a bush. He then stepped boldly up to the edge of the boarder. He spied Tornear, an old warrior who was usually friendly with ThunderClan cats. "Tornear!" he called.

The brown tom looked up curiously. "Graystripe?" he called back curiously. "Why are you here? Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine, but I have a favor to ask," As he said this, Tornear came cautiously closer to the boarder so that they could speak easier. "I have an apprentice who needs a bit of an extra challenge during his assessment today. Do you think it would be alright if you pretended to invade, just to see how he would deal with it?"

Tornear laughed. "If any other cat were to ask me that, I would think they were crazy. But because it's you, I'll do it. Hold on, I have to go tell the patrol what I'm doing. I'll be right back."

Graystripe turned to Rainstorm, who had hidden behind a bush for the previous conversation. "Stay hidden. We're on good terms at the moment. I don't want him to think that he walked into an ambush."

Rainstorm nodded, for she had been thinking the same exact thing. She clawed her way up into the dense, fragrant branches of a pine tree, hoping that the scent would disguise hers. Then she leaned forward a bit to watch the show.

Graystripe was whispering to Tornear, briefing him on what he had to do. Tornear nodded, then Graystripe vanished out of sight. Tornear cautiously crossed the boarder, alert for any signs of an ambush. Although the two Clans were friendly, they were enemies just the same, and didn't trust each other entirely. Deciding it was safe, Tornear snuck forward towards Swiftpaw.

Swiftpaw was burying a piece of prey and, with the animal's body in his mouth, didn't detect Tornear until he was on top of him. Tornear pounced lightly on Swiftpaw's back, not hard enough to hurt him, but hard enough to startle him. Remembering his training, the apprentice turned around to face his attacker, being sure to guard his prey and territory at the same time.

"What are you doing here?" Swiftpaw hissed, his fur puffing up with exhilaration.

"I am only a poor rouge," Tornear growled pathetically. "I just want some prey to eat."

"Liar!" Swiftpaw hissed. "I smell WindClan scent on you! You're trespassing. Get out!"

Swiftpaw lunged for Tornear. The two toms fought violently for a few moments. Tornear was trying to avoid Swiftpaw's flying claws, and Rainstorm could tell that he was very impressed with the apprentice's skills. Then, Swiftpaw used a move that Scratch had taught him, and flipped the larger tom over his head. Tornear landed with a thump, slightly winded. Graystripe flew from his hiding spot and quickly intervened.

"Stop Swiftpaw," he said, helping Tornear to his feet. "Tornear isn't an enemy."

Swiftpaw halted abruptly. He looked from Tornear to Graystripe, and then back to Tornear. "But-but," he sputtered, "He's from WindClan! He-he.." he fizzled out, then whined, "I'm so confused!"

Tornear laughed, "It's alright, young apprentice. I've always been a little on the friendly side with Graystripe, and he just asked me to do a favor. The 'attack' was just a test designed for your evaluation."

"So what do you think?" Graystripe asked of the older warrior.

"He's a warrior already!" Tornear praised while Swiftpaw glowed under the senior warrior's compliments. "Where did you learn all those moves? They weren't ThunderClan's style, where they?"

Swiftpaw opened his his mouth to say something about BloodClan, but Graystripe butted in, "Oh, they're just some moves that I picked up from my travels."

Tornear looked a bit suspicious, but said in a perfectly friendly manner, "Well, I'd best be getting back to WindClan. I'll see you around Graystripe, Swiftpaw."

"Bye Tornear," Graystripe called. "And thank you!"

Once Tornear was once again on WindClan territory and out of earshot, Graystripe told Swiftpaw to head back to camp. Rainstorm scrambled down out of her tree. "Well, what do you think?" Graystripe asked her, once she had all four paws on the ground.

Rainstorm grinned. "Swiftpaw looks ready for anything."

"Then he shall become a warrior," Graystripe said proudly. "I'll arrange the ceremony when we get back to camp."

The cats had all assembled at the base of the Highledge, where Firestar sat, ready to give the ceremony. Rainstorm sat below, beside Graystripe and Swiftpaw. She wanted to learn the ceremony and commit it to memory. She had a funny feeling that she would need to know it down the road.

"Are you excited?" Rainstorm asked Swiftpaw, who sat calmly with his fur groomed to a fiery perfection, his white chest puffed out and his tail curled neatly around his paws.

"Yes," Swiftpaw couldn't suppress a quiver. "It seems like I've been training forever!"

"Swiftpaw," Firestar said. "You have come from BloodClan, where you had trained under Scratch, to ThunderClan where you trained under Graystripe. You have now received training in battle, as well as hunting, and have learned the Clan ways. You are ready to become a warrior. Are you ready to serve and protect your Clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

"Yes," Swiftpaw said, taking everything in with this green eyes wide.

"Then I hereby name you Swiftheart. StarClan looks well upon your future in the forest, be it here in ThunderClan or elsewhere." Firestar looked at Rainstorm, as if trying to get a point across. Rainstorm knew that Firestar, like herself and Redheart, had realized that the BloodClan cats couldn't stay there forever.

As the ThunderClan cats' yowls of "Swiftheart! Swiftheart!" rose into the air, Rainstorm was filled with pride. Swiftheart was _her _warrior. A warrior of the ruins that were once BloodClan. And as she cheered with the other cats, she lifted her head to the stars and vowed that she would one day revive that Clan. And they would be the strongest Clan that the forest had ever seen.

**Another note: If you enjoyed this story, and would like to read the second part in this series, be sure to check out "Pathways" for the continuing story about Rainstorm. **

.net/s/6010352/1/Pathways_MoonClan_Book_2


End file.
